Piano sounding-board.



F. B. LONG.

PIANO SOUNDING BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED JAILS, 1912.

Patented July 23, 1912.

INVENTOR fian/zflZwy BY ATTORNEYS WITNESSES $9M ,Jif

COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH JO-,WASHINOTON, D r:v

FRANK B. LONG, OF LOSv ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

PIANO SOUNDTNG-BOARD.

Specification of I etters Patent.

Patented July as, 1912.

Application filed January 3, 1912. Serial No. 669,246.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK B. LONG, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and Improved Piano Sounding-Board, of which the following is a full, clear, and eXact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved sounding board for pianos and similar stringed musical instrtr ments arranged to permit of maintainmg the original crown and the. desired firmness of the structure to insure the production of a wellsustained tone when the piano is played.

For the purpose mentioned, use is made of a reinforcing rim capable of flexing.

A. practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a face view of the sounding board and its frame as arranged for upright pianos; Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 an enlarged transverse section of the same on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

The sounding board A for an upright piano, as illustrated in the drawings, is provided at its front face with the usual bridges l3, l3, and the margin of the sounding board is reinforced by a rim C extending rearwardly and being seated in a rabbet D formed in the back frame D, preferably of a rectangular shape, and provided with ver tical strengthening posts or beams E, one of which is connected by a sound post E with the rear face of the sounding board A to increase the singing qualities of the piano.

For an upright piano, the sounding board A is preferably of an approximately oval shape with a cut-out portion A. at the righthand side, that is, on the portion opposite the treble strings of the piano. The rim C is continuous or is made in sections and follows the margin of all or a part of the sounding board A, so that the rim C and the sounding board are but partly supported on the side, top and bottom members of the frame D, while the remaining portion especially at the corners and at the cut-out portion A is free of the frame D, and hence is out of contact with the same and unsupported, except as it rests against or is fastened to posts The rim G is laminated with the laminations or layers standing approximately at right angles to the face of the sounding board A, as plainly indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, and the upper face of the rim C is rabbeted for receiving the margin of the sounding board A, to permit of firmly gluing or otherwise fastening the sounding board A and its rim C together,at the same time preventing the sounding board A from spreading, as the outer edge of sounding board A abuts against the rabbet shoulder of the rim C. The rim C consist-s of a sounding boardportion, C, a back frame or attaching portion C and a flexing connecting portion C and the said portions are so proportioned one relative to the other that the sounding board portion C and the back frame port-ion C are thicker than the intermediate or flexing portion G and the back frame portion 0 is thicker and wider than the sounding board portion C. As shown in Fig. 8, the rim C is for this purpose provided with extra laminations at the sounding board portion C and the back frame portion C while the laminations of the connecting portion C form part of the sounding board portion C and the back frame portion C By the arrangement described, an ex ceedingly strong and durable rim is provided which is capable of flexing by being pressed inward by the use of pressure or flexing devices F, preferably of the construction shown and described in the Letters Patent of the United States, No. 936,- 789, granted to me on October 12, 1909. Each of the pressure or flexing devices F is provided with a shoe F in contact with the rim C at the sounding board section C" so as to flex the said rim C in an inward direction owing to the flexibility of the intermediate portion 0 to maintain the sounding board in its permanent and correct crown, and thus insure the production of a well sustained tone when the piano is played. In, each of the shoes F screws a screw rod F extending approximately at a right angle to the rim 0, and each screw rod F is seated at its outer end in a block G set in the rabbet D of the back frame D. By reference to Fig. 1, it will be noticed that three of the pressure devices F .are arranged at three corners of the back frame D and one of the pressure devices F is arranged at one side of the back frame D and engages the rim C at the cut-out portion A of the sounding board A. Each screw rod F is provided with a polygonal offset F adapted to be turned by the operator to screw the screw rod F in the shoe F with a view to cause the latter to exert more or less pressure on the rim C at an unsupported portion thereof, it being understood that the rim by its special const-ruction as described is sufliciently flexible to flex on applying pressure. By the use of the pressure or flexing devices F a pressure is exerted on the rim C and the sounding board A in an inward direction for maintaining the original crown of the sounding board as well as maintaining the desired firmness in the structure. The back frame D is preferably braced at the corners by suitable braces H extending diagonally through adjacent members of the frame I) to take up the strain exerted on the frame I) by the pressure devices I*.

It is understood that by building up the rim C of veneers or laminations as described, an exceedingly strong rim is roduced, which, however, is sufficiently 'exible to allow of flexing the same by the pressure devices F, with a view to resist the outward pressure on the sounding board A incident to the stretching of the strings over the surface of the sounding board A. It will also be noticed that by the use of the pressure devices F shrinkage or expansion of the sounding board A and the rim G is compensated for to fully preserve the sounding board crown and thus the tone, and by setting the rim C in the rabbet D of the back frame D, considerable firmness and durability is given to the structure.

The polygonal offset F may be used as a seat direct on the rim C by having the screw portion on the reverse end of the screw rod F enter the block G instead of the sleeve F.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A sounding board provided with a laminated reinforcing rim, the laminations of the rim extending at right angles to the face of the sounding board and the said rim having inner and outer portions, and intermediate portions, of which the intermediate portion is thin and flexible in comparison with the inner and outer portion.

2. I11 a piano, the combination with a sounding board and back frame having a rabbet, of a rim secured to the sounding board and seated in the said rabbet, the rim having a sounding board portion, a back frame portion and an intermediate connecting portion made thinner than the said sounding board and back frame portions.

3. In a piano, the combination with a sounding board and back frame having a rabbet, of a rim secured to the sounding board and seated in the said rabbet, the rim having a sounding board portion, a back frame portion and an intermediate connecting portion made thinner than the said sounding board and back frame portions, and the latter being thicker than the said sounding board portion.

a. In a frame, the combination with a sounding board and back frame having a rabbet, of a laminated rim secured to the sounding board and seated in the said rabbet, the rim having a sounding board portion, a back frame portion and a connecting portion, the laminations of the connecting portion forming parts of the sounding board and back frame portions and the said sounding board. and back frame portions having additional. laminations.

5. In a piano, the combination with a sounding board and back frame having a rabbet, of a laminated rim secured to the sounding board and seated in the said rabbet, the rim having a sounding board portion, a back frame portion and a connecting portion, the laminations of the connecting portion, forming parts of the sounding board and back frame portions, and the said sounding board and back frame portions having additional laminations, the extra laminations of the back frame portion being in excess of and wider than the extra laminations of the said sounding board portion.

6. In a piano, the combination with a back frame of a sounding board having a laminated rim consisting of a sounding board portion, a back frame portion and an intermediate flexible portion, the said back frame portion being supported at points on the said back frame and unsupported at other points, and a flexing device held on the said back frame and engaging the unsupported portion of the said rim at the said sounding board portion.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK B. Lone.

l/Vitnesses L. K. S. VVA'r'rs, J. (VEBB SMI'rI-I.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

